Monsters in Spokane - Mia's POV (take 2)
by elirawr
Summary: This is my second attempt at this while I am doing NaNoWriMo. I tried this a few years ago but did not get very far. I will update this daily until I am happy with where it ends. This is Mia's POV of the events that happen in Spokane from Richelle Mead's book Frostbite. This will be posted up unedited so i apologise for any spelling errors.
1. Chapter 1

Sitting in the middle of the shopping centre, Mia set out a long sigh and looked over to the two males at the table with her. The anger and disappointment rolling through her like a rollercoaster. She wanted the Strigoi dead and she wanted them dead _now._ The Guardians weren't doing shit and they expected them to just hide away up at the resort and pretend nothing had happened.

Not going to happen.

Mia had overheard Mason talking to Eddie about what had been happening in Spokane and within seconds she had signed herself up for the team, making herself a vital part of the team being the only one that could use compulsion. Well, kind of. It was really hard to do on a Dhampir and trained Guardians certainly had a fair amount of will power to fight against. They'd gotten out in the end and quickly caught the bus to Spokane.

When they had found the tunnels originally, Mia had been terrified as well as thrilled. She needed that revenge for her mother. Those assholes had slaughtered her in a house full of other Moroi and left her there as if she was a pile of shit. They'd taken the one person she could always really turn to when she needed her. Her mother never judged her for her choices, no matter how bad they could be at times. Her father was great too, but not the same. Mia just wanted to see her mother again, but with the aftermath, she hadn't even been allowed to say a proper goodbye either.

"This is ridiculous, they have to be around here somewhere. This is a prime spot for them to be able to access the tunnels and take their pickings of humans."

There was no way to hide the whine that was in her tone, but she was getting frustrated and the guys were running out of idea's too.

The sudden movement of the blonde Dhampir beside her, made Mia jump and her eyes went wide at the sight of Rose and Christian standing right there beside them. To say Rose was pissed off was an understatement.

Listening to Rose berate the guys was pissing her off too. It wasn't like the Dhampir was doing anything herself. All she was interested in was hiding away in the resort with her boy toys up there and hurting the one real and honest guy that the Academy really had. She really did hate seeing Mason pine over the bitch that just constant broke his heart.

Sick of hearing the arguments, Mia stood up from the seat she was in and spoke up. "Why are you so against killing Strigoi? Isn't that what you train for?"

"I train for sane missions, not childish stunts like this" the dhampir responded.

In that moment, Mia wanted to lash out and attack the brunette, but the memory of the broken nose was still rather fresh and she'd rather not be injured while they were out hunting. The words still stung though. "It isn't childish," She cried out, not caring about causing a scene too much. There were a few people glancing over them at this point, but choosing to keep a distance. "They killed my mother. And the guardians weren't doing anything. Even their information is bad. There weren't any strigoi in the tunnels. Probably nine in the whole city."

Well that got their attention. Though it didn't make the blonde feel any better. She wanted to scream, punch, kick, - or something, _anything_ to make her feel better about what happened. Something had to be done to right the wrong of her mother's death.

Bickering. Arguing. It was getting them nowhere and Mia was about to speak up again when Rose threatened to call the Guardians. She couldn't believe it and Mia stood there stunned for a moment. The bitch actually was going to ring up the guardians from the academy and get them dragged back to the resort like naughty little children. There was nothing at all they could do if they were called, they weren't going to be able to run from the guardians and being caught out like that would likely end up with more stress being added onto her father's shoulders.

The plan was plain and simple. Sneak out. Find the Strigoi within the tunnels. Kill those that they found. Sneak back into the resort and celebrate that there was less of those fuckers out there. She would never know if the ones they were hunting were the ones that killed her mother, but in her mind, they were going to be held responsible.

"This isn't about selling anyone out. This is about keeping you guys alive."

Mia's attention went straight back to the conversation when she heard those words and she had to pipe in. "You think we're that defenceless? You think we'd get killed right away?" Hands were on her hips, a little arrogance in her stance.

Rose didn't care about that though, immediately shutting her down. "Yes. Unless you've found a way to use water as a weapon."

Being unable to control the flush on her pale cheeks pissed off the blonde even more but she kept her mouth shut. It wasn't her fault that she wasn't a fire user or even any of the other elements that were seemingly useful in a fight. She'd figure it out one day. There would have to be a way to use it as a wepon and when she worked it out, god help anyone that got in her way.

Rose always had a way of talking Mason into changing his mind and Mia was mentally willing the redhead to finally stand his ground for once. This was important. They needed to be out here. They needed to do this. But no, he caved in and Rose had won. They couldn't do this without Mason.

Pursed lips, and likely a pissed off aura radiating from her, Mia reached down and grabbed the bag she had quickly paged and yanked it over her shoulder. A small part of her wanted to pretend to need the bathroom and just run off on her own, but her own logic overruled her. There was no way that she would last on her own hunting a Strigoi. It looked like they were going back to the resort and she would have to find another way to make the murderers pay for what they took from her.

Silently sticking to the pack, Mia brooded and listened in to what was going on. If there was a chance that Rose would change her mind, she wanted to be able to join in that conversation pretty quickly. There was mention of going back through to the tunnels and her attention quickly went to Rose, the expression on her face likely a little pathetic and pleading but at this point she was desperate at another chance to find them.

Rose caved. They were going back into the tunnels. Score.

Now if they found a Strigoi, they could kill it and prove to Rose that they weren't as hopeless as she claimed.

Mia stuck close to Mason and Eddie, her mood lifted at the opportunity they had been presented with again and she eagerly hoped that there was something down there so this trip wouldn't end up being a waste of time.

Through the door, down the stairs. The stench hitting her nose and it took a bit for Mia to readjust to the assault on her senses. When they had come down here earlier, it had made her gag. She was at least somewhat prepared for it this time.

Her mood was dropping again as they made their way further through the tunnels and it hit her again that there was nothing at all happening down here. They came to a T junction and stopped, looking around before speaking.

"See?" Said Mason. "Boring."

Rose pointed towards each direction they had to choose from and asked. "What's down there?"

Mia knew exactly what was down there because they had looked down each corridor earlier. With a sigh she spoke up. "Nothing. We'll show you."

Leading the way now, Mia went down the corridor to the right and nothing at all had changed since they had been here not even an hour prior. Grubby walls. Janitor supplies. Probably a few rats here and there.

They had reached the end and was on their way back when the blonde spotted Rose staring at something on the wall. Leaning in closer, she looked over the scribbles on the wall and shrugged. "It's probably some janitor thing. Or maybe some gang did it." God knows it was probably a prime location for gangs to meet up.

They all stood there, watching Rose as she studied the scribbles on the wall as if they meant something and Mia was growing impatient. It was not obvious to her that they were going to have to leave here without doing what they set out to do. She'd deal with that disappointment later but for now she figured they may as well get out of this stink hole and get to the bus station, even if they had to wait a while for the next bus.

It was then that they all noticed a change in Rose. She stiffened and backed away from the wall as if it held the most horrible revelation in the world.

"We have to get out of here." Rose said, and the way she spoke it left a shiver down Mia's spine and not in a good way. It terrified her. "Right now."

Eddie tried to argue with her and ask questions. Mia wasn't interested in arguing. She'd get her answers later. Right now she didn't want to be in those tunnels anymore. Allowing the others to lead, she kept up to them quickly and was sure to make sure they weren't leaving anyone behind.

The fresh air was a god send to her sense of smell, but still she couldn't help but feel anxious with how Rose was acting. If this was a prank to get them out of there without more of a fight, then Mia was really going to be pissed off.


	2. Chapter 2

Left. Right. One block. Left. Three blocks. Was this even the right way? Their sudden stop and the others explaining they had no idea where they were going had clarified that none of them had a damn clue where they were going. All the streets around here looked pretty familiar and to be honest, she didn't remember much from leaving the resort to finally finding the tunnels. Her sole focus had been to hunt. It was a foreign feeling for her, but none the less it felt as though it had been the only right way to feel given her situation.

Finally the others had chosen a direction they wanted to go and Mia set out in that direction, ending up near the front of the pack. Looking around, she spotted a building that looked familiar across the road they had approached and assuming that was the right way to go she crossed the road to lead the others there.

The next set of events were near ablur of movement and being unable to breathe. One second she had been walking on the road, the best Rose and the others had her pressed up against a brick wall 0 even Christian had done so, but given the situation he was still behind the Dhampirs. She froze, knowing exactly why they would have done something like that.

There was a threat nearby.

They may be novice's but from the moment any Dhampir steps into the Academy, the same three words are drummed into their heads. _Only they matter_.

Mia heard a car approaching at a fast speed and she was about to scoff and make a smart-ass remark about the big bag vehicle they were going to protect her from when it suddenly stopped in front of them.

Once again everything moved so fast, Mia couldn't do anything but stand there in shock. Three men jumped out and the Dhampir's within their group instantly went into action. Fists flying here and there, a silver stake being pulled out by Mason – which was completely useless against a human. Well it could still kill them but wasn't the objective in this fight, she hoped. Mia was down for Strigoi being hunted and killed, but she wasn't interested in being part of a human murder. Even if it was done in self-defence.

The guy facing off with Mason backed off and Mia saw what happened next as if it happened in slow motion yet there was still nothing she was able to do about it. The guy grabbed at her and within seconds there was a cold hard item pressed against her neck and the scream that wanted to come out ws stuck in her throat in the place the gun was pressed. There was nothing else it could have been and by the reaction from the others, she was right.

God, she didn't want to die.

Everything froze in that moment. Not a single person moved as the situation was evaluated and god she hoped that Rose didn't hate her enough to just let her die.

Finally the negotiations were going to start and a small piece of hope filled her as it seemed like the others were going to do all they could to try and save her.

The gun pressed closer to her neck and the scream that was stuck inside came out as a whimper. Her body was paralysed at this point and even if she had the chance to get free and run, Mia wasn't sure if she could trust her legs to be able to do that.

How the fuck was she meant to fight a Strigoi with the guys if this was how she reacted when a human attacked her.

God, how stupid had she been.

The male behind her stunk of sweat and his hold on her would likely leave bruises. He spoke firmly though, as if he had done this regularly and his demands were simple. None fo them were getting back to the resort. They had no other choice than to get into the van unless they were willing to sacrifice her life so the rest of the might be able to get free.

 _Only they matter_

Mia knew in that moment when she saw the look of defeat on Rose's expression that she wasn't willing to let go of those vows she was raised on. Mia wasn't too sure if she should be happy or terrified.

Quickly the males two accomplices came over and took away the weapons from her friends and produced flex-cuffs and one by one they had been restrained with their hands behind their back and piled into the back of the van. Not a single passer-by in sight to take notice of what was happening and possibly help them. Typical that the one ally they walk down just so happened to be in the deserted part of town.

During the entire ride, Mia stay silent. She couldn't trust her own emotions to stay in control. Had she of spoken it was likely that they would take over and she would be left in nothing but a blubbering mess. That wasn't going to help the situation at all. She had no idea at all how she could help the situation, but it was evident that they were being driven somewhere so they could be killed off.

Looking across the van, Mia took in the sight of the others around her. Christian was brooding and looked as though he was trying not to explode. The others looked deflated. Mason, god she hoped that she didn't have to see him hurt. Over the years, she had always crushed on him but the redhead had never paid her any attention what so ever. He was always puppy eyes over Rose. Though it wasn't as if Mia herself had gone up to Mason and told him how she felt. Perhaps if they made it out of this, she would admit it finally.

Dreary street after dreary street, they finally stopped and the panic set back in. The time had come. How would they do it? Would they kill her first or last? God, she hated this.

Being dragged from the van, into the house and down a set of stairs, Mia's heart race but up through the roof, she was surprised her heart hadn't just pounded its way out of her chest.

Passing many rooms, they finally came across the one that they were obviously meant to die in and their captors dragged them inside and took the time to bind them to tacky wooden chairs that were definitely not for comfort. Moroi one side, Dhampir another.

Everything went silent after the main man had left the room and Mia was the first to speak up.

"What are you going to –" she was cut off abruptly by one of the men growling at her to shut up and lunged towards her. Mia leaned back into her seat as far as she could with a cringe, her face paling. She was about to speak again when Rose caught her attention and shook her head, demanding she stay quiet. For once she actually listened without needing any more of a warning.

More silence. This time, Mia wasn't at all eager to break it, nor were the others. She tried hard to zone out and calm down and try to pretend she wasn't here. Perhaps she could delude herself into thinking none of this was happening and even when her death came, she would just pretend she was elsewhere. Internally she sighed, because she knew that would never happen.

After what seemed like forever, the door finally opened again and she heard the voice of the man that had held the gun at her throat earlier. The others were alert and staring at the door too, their minds all thinking the same thing.

 _It was time._

When more people followed through behind the asshole that had the gun. She paled even more so, unable to even breathe in that moment.

Strigoi.

The fucking humans had captured them for Strigoi. That didn't happen in their world. They all stayed away from the humans unless they were living amongst them, but even them unless they were a feeder, they stayed oblivious to their world no matter what.

Now the humans were doing the dirty work of the Strigoi during the daytime. This must have been what happened at the attack on her mother. She wondered in that moment if these were the assholes that had killed her. If they were the ones responsible. If so, they were going to kill her too.

 _I'm sorry papa._

Those were the three words going over and over in her mind. She couldn't bear to think any further as to how it will affect him to lose his only daughter the same way he had lost his wife.

Her eyes couldn't break away from the Strigoi though. More so the male of the group, but when he approached her, it only took a second of looking into his eyes and he had to look away. The red ring around the pupils terrified her and it was clear that he was a very old, and very powerful Strigoi. He'd likely get satisfaction in her fear, but she didn't have the energy to play tough like Christian, who was now staring down the one that the other Strigoi called Isaiah.

Isaiah was taunting Christian on his parents and god only knew how the fire user had kept his cool, he was not known for keeping his mouth shut, but given the situation I think he knew better. Fear definitely made even the worst tempers mellow out.


	3. Chapter 3

The female Strigoi was trying to get the attention of the male, and get him to call some others. That didn't go down well at all. With a move that Mia herself couldn't even see, the woman went flying across the room and had the wall not been so sturdy she would have likely gone through it.

Everyone else in the room stay silent, just watching the two Strigoi and their power battle. It was obvious who was the older, more stronger of the two and it didn't take much for the woman to fall back in line and start apologising.

Isiah was talking again about what they were going to do with all of them and part of Mia wished they would hurry up and get it over and done with. Rip out their throats and let it be. The though terrified her but the waiting scared her more.

He was talking to the Dhampirs of the group now. Telling them that they were all going to die. It was not like it was news to any of them but it didn't stop the reaction of the reality setting in and the fear on her friends faces were likely similar to her own.

It was then that the Strigoi turned towards her and Christian and she paled a little. "You two, fortunately, have options. Only one of you will die. The other will live on in glorious immortality. I'll even be kind enough to take you under my wing until you're a little older. Such is my charity."

Rose laughed from across the room, and the rest of them gave a stare of horror as Isaiah turned towards her, all of them expecting him to rip her to shreds within the blink of an eye. Thankfully that didn't happen, but his attention did come back to the Moroi and he resumed talking about his offer.

Mia wasn't sure at this point if Christian had balls of steel or just no brains in his head. He was offering up snarky comments back at the Strigoi. Hed never willingly turn. Not after what had happened with his parents and the fact that this _man_ had known his parents also just made Christian just that more determined to not give them what they wanted. He wasn't going to give up his soul for immortality.

Neither was she.

That left them with a predicament. One of them had to take him up on their offer. What would happen if neither of them did? Would they stay here till they all died of hunger or would the Strigoi get too impatient and just kill them after a few days.

Panic started to rise within her again as she realised what was happening next. Isaiah was going to use one of the Dhampir to prove a point. She knew very well how powerful a Moroi bite could be to a dhampir or human, but a Strigoi bite. That was so much stronger. The endorphins that came from that bite would have whoever was bitten out of it for god only knew how long.

Rose was trying to fight and argue her way to be the one bitten but the Strigoi shrugged her off and made his way over to the blonde in the group. Eddie paled at the sight of him.

She didn't want to see this, not at all but Mia couldn't tear her eyes away from the sight before her. The compulsion was done so easily and without fault. Eddie would have eaten out of his boot had he asked. But that's not what the Strigoi wanted. He wanted his neck and that's exactly what the Dhampir offered up.

The moan that came out of his mouth from the bite was that of pure ecstasy. Mia tried hard to look away but every moment of what was happening in front of her was ingrained into her mind and whtn the Strigoi pulled away, the blood dripping from his lips being licked away so slowly she couldn't help but feel the pang of hunger. Being at the academy and then the resort, Mia was used to feeding on a daily basis and she was sure that Christian was too. How long would it take for that hunger to become unbearable?

"You see? It's just that easy." And with that smug look on the assholes face, he slipped out the door and Mia say there speechless with not a single clue what to do

Hours ticked by and none of them really wanted to converse all that much. They were all lost in their own minds and with the human guards ever vigilant, they didn't want to try and talk about escaping with them in ear shot. The only time they got to move was to have some horrifying experience with a bathroom break. The eyes of the guard on her at all times while she tried to do her business while keeping her dignity.

Isaiah was making things hard too. He would come down and make his offer time and time again. Each time neither of them wanting to take up the offer and kill one of their friends and give up their soul to be forever immortal and powerful.

Each time he left, he also made rejecting that offer a little harder. He would take another bite on Eddie's neck. Filling the room will of that sweet coppery scent of blood leaving her stomach in pain, her fangs dying to bite into something and her mouth salivating. God she was hungry.

Each time Christian snarked off to the Strigoi, she held her breath, just waiting to see if he would cross a line and make the male change his mind and kill him right there and then. Seemingly though, the Strigoi seemed to enjoy the banter and she knew if they were to make the choice between the two of them that they would kill her and keep him. She was nothing but a scared little commoner Moroi that had no fight in her left.

Time started to become an irrelivent thing. Mia had no idea how long they had been in this room. Time was counted bu how many visits were made to taunt them into making a choice and make them suffer more.

Eventually exhaustion won out and Mia dozed off in her seat. Not knowing how long she had been asleep for, but she woke up startled to the sound of someone yelling out.

Taking a moment to clear her head and focus on what was happening, she realised Rose was yelling at the guards. Oh god she was going to get herself killed if she didn't shut up. Mia may have not had big love for the dhampir but she definitely didn't want to see her killed.

Then the Guard finished growling at her and went back to his seat, she exhale deeply and got herself settled back into her seat, trying to get as comfortable as she could and hopefully get back to sleep.

It was Christian this time that startled her as he spoke out. The guards told him to shut It but then his next words made her freeze in fear.

"No. I'm ready. Ready to drink."

She wanted to scream at him in that moment, but her voice was frozen too. What the hell was he doing. She was starving too but she wasn't doing to cave in yet.

Finally snapping out of it, Mia tugged on her wristbands, knowing that it was hopeless but she wanted to grab the other Moroi and stop him from making this huge mistake. The others were yelling at him to stop and not do this but from behind and the sound of his voice, he was damn serious.

God, this can't be happening.

Once again, she wanted to close her eyes and not watch a single moment of what was about to happen but in sheer horror her eyes would not look away. Christian was leaning down into the crook of Rose's neck and was actually going to do it.

Without realising, tears were falling down her face and she sat there sobbing. It was all happening now. After all that mind fuck of a waiting game, death was finally on their doorstep. Once Rose was dead and Christian was turned…. The rest of them would soon follow.

Her sobs were silenced and Mia had to hold in a surprised yelp when Rose leaped out of her chair, pushed Christian back and started attacking the guards. They were falling here and there and it took a moment to realise that Christian had used his magic to free Rose. He hadn't bitten her at all. A wave of relief ran through her and just a tiny bit of hope that they might get out of this alive started to swell within her.

More fighting happened. More magic used. Rose and Christian managed to get the main guard unarmed from the gun he held and Mason was now freed also they got to work on tying up the guards and making sure that they all were going to be out of it for a while and couldn't make a noise.

Finally her hands were freed when the others released her and Eddie and god the Dhampir was out of it. Poor Eddie was going to suffer tremendously from this if they made it out of here alive. They could do that right? They had gotten free this far and "They said Isaiah was gone. We should be able to leave, right?" She spoke up, though her voice was so small, as if she were nothing more than a child.

Rose wasn't convinced that the others could have known if the Strigoi were here or not but the only way to find out was to get on the other side of that door and take a look.

Mason carefully opened the door and peeked out, finding an empty hallway. Both he and Rose wanted to leave them here while they go look for an exit and Mia's panic surged. "What if someone comes?"


	4. Chapter 4

Rose assured Mia that no one else was going to come back down here to the basement, and for once Mia actually believed her. The events of the last two days had changed a lot and seeing how Rose and Christian had dealt with the guards just then gave Mia a huge respect for them. Not that she would outright say that right now. Maybe one day. They had to get the fuck out of here first.

Mia and Christian stayed put and tried hard to keep Eddie upright. God the guy still had a huge smile on his face and he was barely conscious. She was sure that he wouldn't have any memory of what happened down here and part of her envied that. But the suffering he was going to go through to get past the high he was going to crave from the Strigoi bite was not something she envied. The high of a bite was not something she had ever experienced, since moroi bites didn't have the same effect on their own kind and she hoped to never be bitted by a stroigoi.

"You think we are going to make it out of here?" She asked meekly to the other Moroi.

Christian glanced over at her from the other side of Eddie's slumped bodies that hung between them and his expression was hard to read. "We might. If not, I am taking down as many as I can on my way out."

Mia wasn't too sure how much more magic the other could do though in his current condition. They were both deprived of blood and food, and the magic he had already done was pretty damn big. The guy looked drained and that was a nice way of putting it.

"If we get out of this, I'm sure as fuck finding a way to not be so damn defenceless being a water user"

She hadn't really meant to say that out loud, but hoestnly in the situation they were in she didn't care what the other thought of her. Surprisingly he nodded and spoke up. "I'm sure we can find a way."

She didn't have a chance to respond to him before the others returned, Mason quickly taking over being the support person for Eddie. Looking over at Christian she grabbed a hold of him and even though he was reluctant, Mia wasn't taking no for an answer and her expression told that clearly. Her arm wrapped around his waist and she threw his arm around her shoulder and followed Rose out of the room with Mason and Eddie following up behind them.

The two Dhampirs were arguing at this point, Mason's male ego and feelings for Rose getting the better of the situation. Part of her wanted to tell the two of them to shut the fuck up so they can get out of here but she figured that would just add more conflict to the situation. She just really wanted to get as far away from this house as possible.

Moving forward they made their way out of the basement and up the stairs, Mason went ahead to scout with Rose, leaving Eddie to lean on Mia. She struggled with his weight, but pushed through. Christian was steady enough to hold his own for a moment, but he wasn't strong enough to be able to hold up the other male.

As quick as he had left, Mason was back and had taken his position back up at the rear with Eddie. They were on their way out again. Mia looked around as she walked with Christian and then they came to a sudden halt and when her eyes locked on to what Rose had spotted she froze, her mouth becoming dryer than it already was and the panic starting to hit her. They were so close to freedom. It was daylight outside. They just needed to get to a door and there was two Strigoi standing in their way.

Rose spoke firm and low, commanding Mason to what they had argued about earlier. She was now insisting that he take the three of them with him and run as far and fast as possible… leaving her behind to die.

Fuck, she was really going to do this and when the brunette lunged for the two Strigoi, Mia wanted to scream out and drag her back to the illusion of safety. Instead, Eddie was being leaned against her and Mason was running for the door to open up their path.

The door opened and the moment that Mason returned to take the Dhampir off her, Mia grabbed Christian's hand and ran for the safety of the daylight outside. The sun hurt her eyes as she got out there but that pain was only temporary. They were safe now.

Her eyes finally focused in time to see Mason dragging Eddie out of the front door into the daylight where he was also safe, and eventually making his way to there she and Christian were at. Mia quickly looked to see if Rose was following behind. The others looked too.

There was no one else coming through that door behind him.

The noises coming from inside the house though meant that she was still alive and before she could stop him, Mason was running back inside. "Mason, stop!"

He completely ignored her and was already back in the house by the time she called out. God, he was going to get himself killed too. What was she supposed to do? There was no way she could fight off the Strigoi and none of them had a phone to be able to call anyone.

The gunshots that she heard from inside the house made her jump and Christian grabbed onto her arm to hold her back from running in there like an idiot. Mason was in there too now and it was likely she wouldn't see him again after this unless someone did something.

The minutes seemed to tick by so slowly after Mason had left, and the two guys out here with her weren't looking so crash hot. Eddie was passed back out again on the ground. The high and blood loss taking its toll on him and Christian was pale and out of it and looked as though he was struggling to keep himself upright. The amount of magic he had used had truly drained him and was the only reason they were free right now.

Magic.

There had to be something she could do with her own skills to even just distract the goddamn creatures inside long enough for Mason and Rose to get the fuck out of that house and into the sun. Once they were out, then they could come up with a plan on what to do next.

Back up into her feet, Mia ignored the swearing from Christian and ran over to the front door that was the gateway to freedom. Sticking to the entrance, Mia looked around and quickly looked around at what the hell she could use. There had to be water somewhere in the house.

She spotted it. An aquarium behind the male Strigoi. Lots of water there. Her focus going solely on the tank, Mia managed to make the tank explode and before all the water could fall down on the ground, she took control of it and formed a sphere of water. A shitty sphere but it would do the job she wanted.

Slowly it floated across the room and as expected the male Strigoi was distracted enough that he didn't know what was happening until the water wrapped around his face and stayed there, suffocating him.

God she hoped it was enough to get them out. She wanted to scream out for Rose and Mason to run, but Mia feared that if she dropped her concentration that the sphere would fall too soon.

Rose managed to do something to take down that Strigoi because he fell and Mia let go of her control over the water that surrounded him. Splashed hitting the floor around his body that collapsed with a shard of glass in his chest. He wasn't dead but was taken out of the game for now.

Where was Mason though? Her eyes searched the room. He should have been fighting with Rose or grabbing her to get the hell out of here. Where was –

Eyes stopped on another body that lay on the floor close to the female Strigoi. Her heart near stopped in that moment and everything around her just stopped. Mason was laying on the ground, his body limp and not moving at all. She stood there in the doorway, watching and waiting and mentally begging for his chest to start rising.

Goddamit. No!

She was about to run into the room when she took focus on what Rose was doing and she paled even more, her stomach churning and had there been anything in her stomach it would have them come up. Her face already streaked with tears she had not known where there and now a scream that escaped her lips without her control.

The female Strigoi lay dead in front of Rose, her head detached and blood everywhere. The other Strigoi started to rise, no longer incapacitated and as soon as he was spotted by the Dhampir, she was on him and the sound of the sword in her hands trying to get through his neck through each swing would haunt her for a long time after this.

"Rose!" Mia cried out. "Rose, he's dead!"

The look on Rose's face terrified her in that moment. Something had snapped inside of her and Mia wasn't all that sure if she was going to turn on her next. She was terrified that someone else might come and attack them. They had to get out and she wasn't leaving Rose behind.

"Rose." Her voice was much softer this time, pleading. "Rose, we have to go. Come on."


	5. Chapter 5

The brunette had herself wrapped around Mason's body and Mia's desperation was clear in her voice. She didn't want to leave her behind to end up just like him, but approaching her in this moment was not safe at all. The look on Rose's face terrified her and clearly said she would attack anyone that tried to pry her away from Mason.

"Rose, we'll come back for him. If other Strigoi are coming, we have to get out." She tried to reason with Rose, hoping the threat of other Strigoi might get her moving but that did nothing. Mia watched as Rose's hand stroked through the red hair and saw his lifeless eyes wide open.

She was going to try once more, her eyes scanning around the room making sure no one else was around. "Rose–"

That was cut off by Rose screaming at her to get out and leave them alone and as Mia took a step towards them the sword that was covered int eh blood that covered the rest of the room lifted towards her.

It was clear she wasn't going to get anywhere and Mia backed towards the door and before making her exit she gave one more desperate glance, praying that Rose would change her mind and come out into the safety.

The only thing that could keep them safe now would be Guardians. Proper trained guardians that could get in there and restrain Rose without her killing them all and also investigate what was happening in there, after all there was three humans locked up in the basement that they could question.

Mia raced back over to Christian and Eddie, only getting a reponse from one of the two on her arrival and the moment she arrived, her legs fell weak and she went down to the ground beside them, tears streaming down her face as the sobs caught up with her. Christian was saying something to her, his hand on her shoulder and he was trying to get her attention but what he said didn't register in her mind.

Finally, the sobs slowed enough for her to be able to speak. "He's dead… Mason. He's dead and Rose.. She.. she killed them.. but he is in there and she won't leave him. We have to get help."

When she looked up, his face was unreadable and closed off. Mia wanted to ask him what he was thinking about and why he didn't care about what happened but now wasn't the time to be doing that. It was likely he did care, but he was too _manly_ to try and show that in front of others.

Wiping her face on the back of her sleeve, Mia slowly rose to her feet and looked around. They still had enough hours left of daylight, but she had no idea how long it would take for the Guardians to get here or even how to really get them here. First she had to find a phone.

"Christian, you need to stay here with Eddie. Don't you dare leave him here. I need to go. I need to go find a phone so I can get help."

The male's expression said that he was about to argue with her, but she wasn't letting that happen and before he could utter a word, she was walking off down the driveway and towards the other houses in the street.

What was he supposed to say if she knocked on the door and asked someone to use the phone. She looked like shit and it was likely they would start asking questions about what had happened to her and then want to call the police. Fuck. She couldn't get the cops involved with this, she was already surprised that none had arrived then the gunshots had gone off earlier.

Maybe there was no one in the houses? Looking around here was no cars in the driveways and it was far too quiet. What the hell?

Approaching the first house she came across, Mia looked in the window and saw that there was a whole house of furnishings inside but no car and from what she could tell, no one inside at all. There was a phone though, She could see it on the counter.

The fact that she was breaking the law didn't even cross her mind as Mia quickly moved around to the back of the house and found the back door, luckily enough there was a glass pane in it and quickly Mia went searching for a rock or something else heavy that she could smash it with. If no one came running for gunshots, who the hell was going to care about some smashed glass.

Grabbing a rock from the nearby garden, Mia quickly had the glass smashed and reached through to unlock the door from the inside. Being short at this point was a downfall and she had to fight back the urge to call out in pain when the broken glass cut along her arm. The door was unlocked though and that's what mattered. She'd heal up eventualy.

Running through the house. She found the phone that had been seen through the window just before and she picked it up, breathing a sigh of relief to hear a dial tone. Hesitating just a moment, she had to think about who to call. Fingers dialing she rang one of her 'friends´ from the academy and the moment they picked up Mia spoke fast.

"It's Mia. I can't explain but I need you to stop whatever the fuck you are doing right now and find the nearest Guardian closest to you."

There was a moment of confusion from the girl on the line but there was a scuffle of noises and within a few minutes there was a male's voice that came across the line. "Hello, Mia? Mia Rinaldi right? Are you with Miss Hathaway?"

"Yeah, kinda. She is next door. Look I have no time to really explain. We were in Spokane, we got kidnapped by humans working for Stroigoi. We've escaped but there is a casualty. One Dhampir and two Strigoi. I have no idea where the fuck we are.. but we need you. Can you trace the number I am calling from or something? It's the house next door to where we were…"

It took everything in her to keep her voice as calm as possible and soon enough the call was ended. They were going to trace the number she had dialled from and be there as soon as possible. It was a few hour drive from the resort, but she had some idea that they were going to be a hell of a lot faster than the bus.

Before running back Mia ran to the kitchen, not sure what she was expecting to find but there was cold water from the tap that quenched her thirst and after rummaging around the cupboard she found a bottle to put some water in to take back to the boys. They were going to need it. Finding a few bits of food too and a throw blanket off the couch, Mia raced back through the back door and back to where she had left Christian and Eddie.

"They're on their way… we're going to make it through this. I need to keep an eye on Rose but here, drink this." Mia handed over the water bottle to the other Moroi and then opened up the crackers she found and sat them on the ground in front of them. Before getting comfortable, she wrapped the blanket around Eddie and tried to make him as comfortable as possible. It was going to be a long wait.

Periodically, Mia would get up and check through the window that Rose was still okay. It was still the same heartbreaking sight every time. Rose wrapped around Mason's body, the sword clenched in her fist.

Finally there was convoy of cars that arrived and Mia tensed, praying it was the Guardians and not more humans. But from the sight of the van that they had been kidnapped in, she didn't have to worry too much. Her worry evaporated at the sight of Dhampirs emerging from the cars and swooping towards them, some coming for her and the others into the house.

"She is in the first room. Be careful, she is armed and not in the right mind." She called out, spotting Guardian Belikov as he was walking past. He and Rose had something going on, she was sure of it but now was not the time to be worrying about that. She just hoped he could get her the fuck out of that house and far from it.

Mia refused to move till Eddie and Christian were taken care of, she was in better shape than those two and finally she moved to sit in the back of an SUV with the two of them as they waited for everything to go down. Every inch of that house and the land it was on would be searched. The dead bodies disposed of and the other body… well that would be going home with them. There was no way they were going to leave that behind.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, the convoy of cars were moving and Mia wasn't even paying attention to what was going on and where they were going. They'd ended up at an airstrip and all ushered onto one of the Academy's jets. She took her seat and after a while Rose was guided onto the plane and sat into a seat. Picking up one of the blankets that was free, Mia walked over and sat next to Rose and wrapped the blanket around her shoulders. One of the Guardians had done the same thing to her earlier and she was thankful for it, not realising how cold she was from the shock.

"I'm cold." Rose murmured. "How am I so cold?"

"You're in shock." Mia answered simply.

It was then that Rose looked at her properly instead of at the seat in front of them and her eyes were wide as if she had only just realised what had happened. It was really going to take a long time for all of them to process what had happened and how to move past it. A really long time.

"Oh god." Rose gasped. "You saved me. Saved me when you blew up the fish tank. You shouldn't have done it. You shouldn't have come back."

God, Mia wanted to laugh at that but instead she shrugged. "You shouldn't have gone for the sword."


	6. Chapter 6

"Thank you." Rose responded after considering her words. "What you did… I never would have thought of that. It was brilliant."

The smile that came across Mia's features at that point was honestly the first real smile that had happened in god knows how long. She couldn't remember. It wasn't a happy smile though, there was still such sadness surrounding it. It would take a lot longer for happiness to come along.

Wanting to keep the mood light she teased the dhampir. "Water isn't much of a weapon, remember?"

There was actually a laugh that came out of Rose's mouth. It wasn't a loud one and it was choked back but It was there and that was enough for Mia to be satisfied with. The trauma of the events was probably going to affect the Dhampir the most out of everyone.

"Water's a great weapon." Rose finally replies. "When we get back, we'll gave to practice ways to use it."

Mia lit up at that and already her mind was reeling on different things that they could try. With Christian on board too – she hoped – they would have a great start on figuring it all out. She was sure that there would be more people interested too. Though it would have to be kept on the downlow. "I'd like that. More than anything." She responded honestly. Really, what else was there for her to do now? Everything had changed for her in a matter of weeks and the trivial things she used to stress about seemed insignificant.

"I'm sorry… sorry about your mom."

That caught her off guard a little and Mia simply nodded a response. "You're lucky to still have yours. You don't know how lucky."

"I wish she was here."

Once again, Mia was caught off guard and surprised. "She is." She turned to face Rose and explained. "She was with the group that raises the house. Didn't you see her?"

The moment the brunette shook her head, Mia was up and out of her seat and moving towards the group of Guardians a few rows forward and she cleared her throat to get the attention of them all.

"Guardian Hathaway, Rose wants to see you. I think she really needs you right now."

She was thanked, and Mia stepped aside as the fierce auburn-haired Guardian made her way down the aisle and sat down next to her daughter. It took only a moment before Janine had her arm around the younger Hathaway and Mia's heart constricted. God she needed her mother right now. She would give anything to be able to just talk to her. Instead she moved back to her own seat and sat there alone for the rest of the flight pretending to be asleep so that no one disturbed her or would notice the tears that fell down her cheek.

Everything that happened after that was quite a blur. They arrived back at the Academy and each of them were rushed down to medical and the nurse saw to them all to check for injuries. A feeder was brought to each of them also while they were there and once again they were checked before leaving. Their mental health was to be watched and Mia knew that all staff members would be watching each of them with eagle eyes. Just waiting for one of them to snap from the trauma they had endured.

The funeral had come too soon and Mia was honestly unsure of her ability to attend. It wasn't until Rose, Christian and a looking worse for wear Eddie turned up to make sure she was going that she step foot out of her dorm room and made her way down there.

It had taken her right till the very end of the ceremony to approach the front of the church that the funeral was held at on campus. It was a really nice ceremony, but Mia hadn't been able to get much further in than the door until the end. Once most others had left she forced herself to walk up there and face the open casket that lay there.

This time his eyes were closed and though that was a relief, Mia still could see those eyes of his staring out to nothing with not a speck of life in them. Her hand came up and ringers swept back the red locks of his hair and she whispered softly as tears fell down her cheeks. "I wish this wasn't goodbye. I get why you went back in there though, I was doing the same thing for you because I needed you to get out safe. You got your wish though, Rose is alive and safe. You did what you could. I'll miss you Mason. I wish I had of told you so much more while you were here but I was too scared."

Sniffing back another sob, Mia pulled back and with her head down she made a quick exit through the side door and made her way back to her dorm room where she would be able to hide for a few hours before someone was likely to come looking for her.

Small talk was all she had managed over those days, but she was feeling a little better. It wasn't going to be easy to get through saying goodbye to the guy she had never admitted her feelings for and would never have the chance to now, but that would be her fault and she would have to live with that.

She had left the dorms only really when she needed to for that first week and one of those occasions had been when Rose had received her Molnija marks. She hadn't been able to attend the ceremony, it was for Guardians only, but afterwards she had spotted the Dhampir with a flock of other Novices around her and they were trying to take a look at the marks. She refused to show them though – Mia could only guess why and she would have done the same too.

She caught the gaze of the Dhampir briefly as she was leaving and Mia nodded and gave her a half smile. Rose had earned those marks, no matter how tragic the event that had lead to the killings and Mia wanted the Dhampir to know that she respected her for being one of the ones to get them out of that situation. Had it not been for her, more than Mason would have been killed.

Christian was another one that deserved a lot of respect for his role in freeing Rose and helping her with the Guards and she had tried to seek him out a few times on the odd occasion she left her room but he was being elusive too. Towards the end of the first week though, she caught up with him and let him know exactly how she felt about his role in their escape and that she respected him and asked if he would still be up for helping her practice magic.

She couldn't stay in her room forever and if she was to leave, she may as well be doing something productive with her time. Christian agreed to meet up with her and he promised that he would talk to Lissa and get word to Rose to join them too since she had made a promise too. They sure as hell weren't going to be defenceless again.

Weeks passed and it the others had stayed true to their promise. They had met each day to talk over or practice different things with magical attacks and defence. Christian was great at counter attacking with her and coming up with new ideas and Rose was always giving out hints on how to try and use physical attacks with the magical ones to.

It was hard at first, but with each attempt things grew easier. The pain of the people she had lost was still with her, especially her mother and there were still moments that Mia forgot about what had happened and she found herself grabbing her phone and about to message her when she caught herself at the last moment.

Time. That was what she needed and family. Things were getting better at the Academy, but she couldn't help feeling that she needed to be with her father. There was the loneliness in his voice each time they spoke, and it broke her heart. They had become much closer after her mother's death and they now relied on one another. She hadn't asked yet, but she was going to ask if she could come and live with him at the royal court where he was now working. She would find a way to do her studies there and make sure that he was okay too. Perhaps the change of scenery too would help her get past everything that happened.

She wasn't sure when she would ask him to leave though. Maybe she might stick it out here a little longer first but eventually she would end up there with him and make sure that she didn't lose another parent. Life had to move on one day.


End file.
